This is a precious resource. It’s the very last bottle of Original Mint Source mint and teatree shampoo. Certainly the last one that I can get my grubby little mitts on. It may even be the last one in the world, ever. The last bottle of the corresponding conditioner was used up months ago.

It ticks all of my boxes: it’s vegetarian and not tested on animals – nothing gets through the door unless that’s the case; it’s cheap; most of all it’s stunningly good to use. Not everyone would agree I’m sure. There is something of the Marmite about it in as much as it turns some people off as much as it floats my boat. You see, trying to describe what it does to your scalp is tricky. The best I can come up with is that if you can imagine a scalp experience a bit like the oral experience of sucking a Sharps Extra Strong Mint. It’s tingly, cold, super-minty and generally like being woken up with a bucket of ice. Having said all that, it’s no hair shirt experience, quite the reverse, it’s absolutely fabulous.

After several unsuccessful attempts to buy a bottle, I went onto the Original Source website and asked them for stockists. They were pretty unhelpful in as much as they came back to me saying that Sainsbury’s sold it but they couldn’t tell me which branches. I went into the local store and, while they sold their shower and bath products, they didn’t sell the shampoos or conditioners. I went back to the website but the shampoos had disappeared. I googled them for shopping and found an online store selling it very cheap – it was never an expensive brand but these bottles were £1 each. I bought two dozen shampoos and a dozen conditioners. They cost me £36 and were a complete bargain. The brand has been discontinued and there will be no more. I’ve been using these bottles now for a couple of years I suppose but I have to open this one tomorrow and it’s the last one.

I’m gutted. I realise this makes me look even odder than I looked with yesterday’s Brunel/Who post. I’m going to find myself with a reputation of being madder than a box of frogs soon but I needed to share my grief at the passing of an old friend. Why is it that the things I love are not liked enough by other people to make them commercially viable?